Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza Coming Soon to University of Kentucky

Posted on June 3, 2015.

“Build-Your-Own” Artisanal Pizza Restaurant Set to Open in Lexington This Summer

Faster than a horse race and always a slam-dunk, critically acclaimed Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza is rolling into town this summer. Soon, Lexington’s pizza fans will get to experience a totally new take on one of America’s favorite foods when Blaze Pizza debuts this July. The Louisville-based Millennial Restaurant Group, which is developing the concept in four states, has broken ground on it’s Lexington location at 341 S Limestone St. across from Two Keys Tavern. The new restaurant is being built specifically to suit the 2800-square-foot space, with seating for 60 inside and an additional 20 seats on an outdoor patio.

Known for custom-built artisanal pizzas, freshly made salads, blood orange lemonade and s’more pies, Blaze Pizza is redefining the classic “pizza joint”. Unlike traditional pizza chains, Blaze features an interactive assembly-line format that allows guests to create their own artisanal pizzas, choosing as many toppings as they like from a wide selection of house made sauces, fresh vegetables and hand-selected meats and cheeses – all for under $8. The generously-sized 11-inch pizzas are then sent to the blazing hot oven where dedicated pizzasmiths ensure that the thin-crust pies are “fast-fire’d” and ready to eat in just 180 seconds.

“Lexington prides itself on it’s winning traditions and we look forward to becoming a part of that by offering an innovative dining option where guests can create, connect and enjoy pizza at a price that won’t break a college budget,” said Rodney Poston, Blaze Pizza’s Operating Partner in Lexington. “We believe this will be a game changer in town.”

Blaze Pizza makes its own dough from scratch using a recipe developed by critically acclaimed Executive Chef Brad Kent (“The Pizza Whisperer”), which requires a 24-hour fermentation period to produce his signature light-as-air, crisp crust. The restaurant’s menu also accommodates a range of dietary needs, with gluten-free dough and vegan cheese. The new location will be open from 11:00 am to midnight daily with extended hours Thursday – Saturday when school is in session and will offer a selection of wine and craft beer.

The Lexington restaurant will be the eighth location for the Millennial Restaurant Group, which is developing the concept in Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. The partnership consists of James Patterson Sr., Jim Patterson II, Ulysses (Junior) Bridgeman, Wayne Albritton and Collins Cogan.

The first Blaze Pizza restaurant opened on Aug. 6, 2012, in Irvine, Calif., and quickly gained attention for its chef-driven recipes and “build-your-own pizza” assembly-line format. Now ranked as the overall #2 fast-casual brand in FastCasual.com’s annual Top 100 list, Blaze Pizza is building momentum and developing a cult following as it expands across the country. The company currently operates 67 restaurants in 18 states and the District of Columbia, including the major metropolitan areas of Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Dallas and Washington D.C. Founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel (co-founder of Wetzel’s Pretzels), the concept is backed by investors including LeBron James, Maria Shriver, Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner and movie producer John Davis. For more information, please visit blazepizza.com and facebook.com/blazepizza.